Sparks
by KstewDreamer
Summary: Bella Swan is a teenage girl who has recently been hurt in her relationships. She has sworn to herself not to make herself that open with a guy again but when charming musician Edward Cullen comes into town she cannot resist the sparks that fly.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I read the text that Alice had just sent to me, "We're going out tonight, my cousins in town with his friends, we're giving them a tour of the city." I didn't get it, there wasn't much to see. Forks wasn't the most exciting city in the world. I realized then that she probably meant Seattle. It wasn't that exciting either, but much more exciting than Forks. I didn't really want to go out tonight. I knew I'd just be standing off to the side while Alice had her family reunion with her cousin. I knew I wouldn't have much fun, but I also knew that Alice wasn't going to let me stay home, so I told her I'd go. I texted Alice back asking her what time. She said she would be picking me up from my house at eight and we'd be meeting her cousin in Seattle. She also added that I should wear something nice, apparently some of her cousins friends were nice. But I really wasn't interested. Boys just weren't my thing right now, not since Jacob. He'd hurt me and I don't think that I could ever look at a boy that way for a long time.

I searched my wardrobe looking for something that Alice might approve of. All I could find was my blue top and skirt, but that was going to have to do. I wasn't looking to impress anyone tonight, we were just being tour guides right? So no need to dress to impress. I grabbed my over the shoulder bag and put my money and phone into it, knowing that my dad would want to check up on me being in the city, what he, and everyone else who has only ever lived in the small town of Forks, considered big. It was only faintly cloudy out so I didn't feel the need to bring a jacket.

As I walked out the door I looked at Alice in her Porsche. I saw her grimace as she took in my outfit, obviously not her idea of something nice, but I was comfortable so i didn't care. I opened the door to the car and Alice was already talking.

"I thought I told you to wear something nice? These guys are really hot Bella! You could meet someone special tonight." she moaned at me. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't want to meet anyone special Alice, and anyway this was all I could find." I said trying to take the subject off of me.  
"I definitely need to go with you on your next shopping trip," she said, but I didn't answer, I was waiting on the subject to change. Sooner than I thought, she was babbling on. "I think you'll really like my cousin Bella He's a musician, well a struggling one but still. He plays the guitar and the piano. His friends are cool too, they're all from New York,they're gonna be pretty disappointed when they get to Seattle and find the biggest attraction is a pizzeria." I laughed, poor guys had no idea they were in for the boredom festival. She pulled up outside the main mall in Seattle. "I told them we'd meet them here, I knew they'd be able to find this place, it's the biggest thing here" I nodded.

We waited at the fountain beside the mall. It was dark out and the blue lights in the fountain shone brightly. I sat and waited patiently with Alice for her cousin and his friends to come. I suddenly found myself wondering what they'd be like. Would they be tall? Would they be geeks or jocks? Would they be uptight or laid back? Would I be able to stand them for one night? I hoped so. Before I could think Alice suddenly clapped her hands in joy and jumped up.  
"Yay you're here!" She squeed as she grabbed a boy who i supposed was her cousin into a hug.

" Hey Alice how've you been?" he said pulling away from her hug. And that's when I saw him. His face was, what could only be described as sexy. His eyes were the perfect shade of blue and his hair was golden and wind swept. He suddenly looked towards me snapping me back to reality. His face had an expression on it that i couldn't understand. "Who's this?" he asked, his eyes still focused on me.

Alice smiled. She liked how I was looking at him. I struggled to hide the emotion in my eyes. "That's Bella, she moved to Forks a few years ago. We're really close. She's going to be helping us show you around tonight." Alice continued to smile, obviously realizing something that I was too gone to see. I was too gone to even think clearly.

"Cool," he said his eyes still fixed on me. "Hi Bella!" he smiled, it was a sort of crooked smile, but that was it, I was hooked. I couldn't think at all now, my mind was completely focused on him. He looked at me, waiting for an answer. But I couldn't think. I scrambled my brain for the answer he was looking for.

"Hi...?" I realized I didn't know his name, I felt my face flush red but I didn't know why.  
"Oh, my apologies, my name's Edward Cullen." He said reaching his hand out to shake mine. I reached out my hand and as it touched his, I felt something, something I'd never felt with anyone, not even Jacob, a feeling I had no name for, a feeling I hoped never went away. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I continued to shake his hand, my mind had now completely collapsed and I had no clue how to stop. It was him who had to pull away. "Shall we go?" He asked. I turned to Alice trying to see clearly again, to get his face out of my head. I soon found out it was impossible.

"Yeah sure let's go. But I have to warn you there's not much to see." Alice said looking upset. Alice liked to think big, so she didn't like the idea of having to tour her cousin around such a small city like Seattle.

"I'm sure we can still have some fun, there has to be some fun things to do in this place." Edward said. I didn't look up. I convinced myself I didn't want to. I didn't want to go through another Jacob relationship, and though i knew this guy could be completely different, I couldn't open myself up to him. But I found myself desperately wanting to. My mind and my heart were at war: my heart telling me to go for it, take love on a ride and see were it takes me. My head was telling me to stay were I was, single; not to take the chance of getting hurt, not to make myself that vulnerable. And though I desperately wanted to go with my heart, I felt my head was right. I didn't want to be hurt like that again.

We walked along the the fountains at the mall, they stretched a few yards but I never notice the walk. I'm always looking at the lights, the way the fountain shoots up in the air and then lightly falls down into a light trickle of water spouting from the ground, the blue lights making it look magical. I looked up to see how many of... Edwards friends were here with him. There were two. One was big. Really big and very muscle built. His hair was a dark brown. He seemed very happy, sort of playful, like a kid in a playground. The other was smaller. Not as big as the dark haired one. His hair blonde. Alice seemed to like him. She was walking close beside him listening to him as he spoke to her. I turned my head back to the fountains.

"Hi," said a voice that I had only heard once before but had already known too well. Don't do it, just keep walking, my mind said. But I couldn't be rude. Well that's what I told myself.

"Hey," I said willing my self to turn my head towards the voice. And there it was. The face I was trying to forget. The eyes I was trying to look away from, but was now hooked on. The smile that knocked me breathless.

"It's really nice here. I don't know why Alice told me it wasn't special. These fountains are beautiful, and those stars... you don't get anything like this in New York, It's almost magical don't you think?" He stopped walking and sat down at the wall around the fountain, patting the space next to him with his hand. I sat down and looked up at the stars. They really were beautiful and seeing them cleared my head a bit giving me the knowledge to speak.

" Yeah this place is my favourite place at night. It's always so quiet too." I said being careful not to look at him. I knew one look could render me speechless in a second.

"O.K." He laughed. I was confused, did i say something funny? "Could you please explain to me how you and Alice are friends?" He continued to laugh "You guys are so different, Alice never notices this kinda stuff, she's always to busy thinking big to think about the small things, they always seem to pass her by. But you, you're the opposite and I really don't get it." I felt uncomfortable, I didn't like how the conversation had turned to me. I turned my head slightly to look at him. I focused trying to think of him as something that repulsed me, it was impossible. But I continued to stare, never looking away. He looked at me obviously waiting on a response, and somehow I found myself thinking clearly enough to give it to him.

"Yeah, Alice and I are really different, but she's a great friend" I said, I was still looking at him and I realized that I was about to fall hard. I snapped myself back not letting it happen again, terrified that if I did my parachute might break. "We should get going!" I said hopping up and beginning to walk towards Alice. She was a down at the other end of the fountain, about a five minute walk. I heard his footsteps getting faster catching up with me. Great.

" Why do you keep doing that?" He asked. He sounded confused. He wasn't the only one.

"Doing what?" I asked, seriously confused now.

"Moving away from me, you barely even look at me." He said looking at me, his eyes searching mine, making it impossible to move away.

" Em... " I didn't know what to say. Oh because looking at you makes me completely speechless? No, I wasn't saying that. "I don't know..." I muttered. Why was I lying? I was so bad at it.

"You're a really bad liar" He said, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Bella!" Alice called. I had never been so glad to hear her voice in my life. " Come on! We've been at this stupid fountain all night! I'm getting kind of hungry. Edward are you hungry?" She asked, completely oblivious to the tension between us.

"Yeah sure" he said, not really focused. He was staring at me again. Or maybe trying to figure out what was going on in my mixed up head. It was going to be pretty hard for him since I had no clue. How had this happened? How could one boy that I've just met change my entire view on relationships and... love. Why were my mind and heart at war? And wheven though I desperately wanted my mind to win, I knew my heart would. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I hurried along beside Alice though she was barely paying any attention to me. She had gone back to talking to the blonde guy. I felt like a third wheel but anything felt better... well not exactly better. He made me feel as good as it gets. But it was better than having to constantly watch myself. I had to make sure I didn't let my guard down, I didn't want a boyfriend. I could feel his footsteps getting closer to me and Alice. He was talking to the dark haired guy. Well, the dark haired guy was talking to him. I hadn't heard his voice yet.

"Hey dude! Where are you going?" The dark haired guy called. I felt his footsteps gaining on me. Great. Edward took my wrist and pulled me away from everyone. We were now standing under a big oak tree. I stared at him. I didn't know what else to do. Was someone meant to look this beautiful? The moon that was now out shone directly on him. The wind was rustling the leaves of the tree.

"Hey" he said staring at me. I stared at him too, but not in the way he stared at me. He stared at me waiting to tell me something, he stared at me warily. I stared at him confused, wondering why he was staring at me. Wondering why we were standing underneath a tree. Why I was so happy about this? "I kind of get that you're not going to tell me the answer to my question are you?" He stared at me. I looked down. "Thought not. But we don't need to let this ruin the night. We're here to sight-see and so far all I've seen is the fountain and you. Though I'm not complaining." he said looking at me, his eyes glistening from the shine of the moon. I noticed his hand was still holding my wrist, I felt myself blushing. Then I realized I was letting my guard down. But I found myself wondering, would that really be so bad? This could be something great and if it wasn't then that would be fine too. But if it ended badly... I don't think I could handle that. Not again. So no. I wouldn't do it. I lightly pulled my hand away and laughed half heartedly.

"So? Let's go. You still haven't seen the main attraction. The pizzeria here is awesome." I said, leaving the tree. I heard him laugh but I didn't stop to see why. I just kept walking until I was back beside Alice. I felt dizzy.

"Bella? Are you ok? You look really pale. The pizzeria's just around the corner, you can sit down." Alice said looking at me. How bad did I look? I didn't think about it, I just nodded.

We turned the corner toward the pizzeria and saw that it was really packed. I could see a table for two sitting on the outside of the restaurant, but there were five of us so that didn't help. "Maybe they'll have some tables inside." Alice said. We walked up to were a waitress was standing beside the door. "Five please?" Alice said smiling kindly at the waitress.

"I'm sorry we've only got one table for two outside and a booth for three inside." said the waitress flashing a cheesy grin.

"Could we pull chairs over to the booth?" Alice asked, sounding reluctant.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid we just don't have the room for that." said the waitress smiling cheesy smile again.

"Hey!" Alice said snapping her fingers. Oh no. What was she doing now? "Bella! Why don't you and Edward take the two person table outside? And we can go inside. Jasper was just telling me a fascinating story and I really don't want to miss the ending." She said smiling. I should have known Alice would have tried to stick me and Edward alone. She probably thought she was helping me. It wouldn't surprise me if she had arranged for the restaurant to be this busy.

"Um... sure." I was really going to regret this and Alice was going to be the person I would be taking out my fury at.

"Edward?" she asked. Waiting for his approval.

"Alice what are you doing?" He asked playfully. He obviously knew Alice as well as I did.

"Me? Nothing!" Alice asked in mock horror. Then she turned to the waitress. "So we'll do that? Thank you" She said and the waitress led them to their seats while me and Edward walked over to the ones outside. This was going to be awkward. I knew that much.

"Alice" Edward muttered shaking his head and laughing as he pulled out a chair for me.

"Um, thanks." Why was I so nervous? I was never like this. But I saw as he took his seat he looked a bit nervous too. This made me a feel a little bit better. "I'm actually not that hungry" I said. I really wasn't. One of the many things that Edward had done tonight was make me lose my appetite. I wasn't hungry in the slightest.

" Yeah me either, but I was just dying to see this amazing pizzeria." He joked. I laughed. Why was he so charming?

" So what are we going to do when the waitress comes over if neither of us want anything?" I smirked. It would be pretty embarrassing for us to have come to a pizzeria and not order anything.

" Well..." He looked nervous now. Good, I was tired of being the awkward one. "We could go on a walk while we wait on the others. Just a normal walk. You can tell me about the city and stuff"

" The city is what you've seen. It's not big at all." I said, looking down, I wanted to think for a minute and that wasn't going to happen looking at him. A walk could be less awkward then sitting at a table inches away from each other. It didn't have to mean anything. "But yeah ok." I said. He smiled widely. He looked so happy. Like a schoolboy finding out he got to go home early.

"After you Madame." he said gesturing his hand towards the gate that allowed us to leave the restaurant. I smiled. I liked him. It was definite. Whether I wanted to or not. It was inevitable. I had fallen and right now I couldn't care less if my parachute broke while I was with him. Somehow I knew he would be there to catch me. So for these few minutes tonight we were going to have together I was going to let down my shield. Just for tonight. Nothing had to happen, and nothing was going to. He would be back in Seattle soon. He had no chance to hurt me. So what had I got to lose?

" So, do you want to play twenty questions?" he asked smiling. I laughed.

"Are we ten again?" I asked playfully.

"No I just think it's a good way for us to get to know each other." He smiled.

"Ok." I said. I knew I would regret this. "You first."

" Alright." He said stroking an imaginary beard on his chin. I laughed. He was really funny, and smart. " You seem very protective, of yourself I mean. Why is that?" He asked, his face was serious now and his eyes were searching mine.

"Oh..." I said. I was already regretting this. But for some reason I felt I could trust him. I already felt I could tell him anything even though I'd not even known him for more than a few hours. I found myself wanting to tell him everything. "This guy, Jacob" I looked up at him, there was a hint of emotion on his face that he quickly covered up once i looked at him. "We used to date but then..." I felt tears come up in my eyes, but I fought them back. I should be stronger than this. "I found out he was with someone else, while he was with me. I wasn't even his main girl. I was the girl he was cheating on the other girl with." I felt the tears rolling down my face. I put my head down and wiped them away. "He told me he loved me..." I whispered. "Anyway," I said looking up and wiping away the tears. "That hurt me a lot. I just don't want it to happen again." I looked at Edward. He seemed genuinely hurt. He seemed almost angry even.

"No-one deserves that." He said shaking his head, and he pulled me into a hug. Without thinking I let it happen. I let myself collapse into him. I wasn't fighting anymore. My heart had won. Like I knew it would. " If I ever saw him I swear I would..." He paused. I looked up at him. He was really upset. But why? I had barely know him. Our friendship had lasted around two hours.

"It's fine" I said pulling away from the hug, though I desperately didn't want to. I knew though if I kept letting myself go I would get hurt when he left. I felt myself getting annoyed, I wished I could make up my mind. "I'm fine." I sighed, I wished I was fine. "So next question?" I asked.

" It's you're turn." He said.

"Ok, " I said, I tried to think of something I desperately wanted to know but something that wasn't too pushy. "How long are you staying with Alice?" I asked. I found myself hoping it was going to be long. Though I knew I shouldn't be.

"For the rest of the summer." He answered. I smiled. Why was I so relieved to hear him say that? To find out he would be here for the next three months? I shouldn't be. I wouldn't be. Three months could lead to three months of me being hurt again.

"Cool." was my brilliant reply. I glanced at my watch. "We need to get back. They'll be waiting for us." I said looking at him. He frowned and sighed.

" Right." he said and we walked back to the restaurant as I tried to figure out how I would be able to stand avoiding this boy for the whole summer. It would be impossible. And it will be even more impossible to watch him leave at the end. 


	4. Chapter 4

I walked along beside Edward, being careful to keep some distance between us. I had been able to successfully talk to him in full sentences that made sense now, but I wasn't sure how good my balance would be if i stood to close to him. I was now walking far enough away that no parts of our bodies or clothing were touching. Maybe I was going a bit overboard...

"So you don't like me?" I was shocked. Where did this come from? I didn't think i was being that hostile. He was looking at the ground, hiding his expression.

"No, of course I do." I said knowing exactly what he meant by 'like.' "I just don't want to get hurt." I said.

"I completely understand." He said lifting his head to look at me. "But you have to understand my issues. If I were to let you go now, the regret would be unbearable. I'm not going to hurt you Bella I swear to you." I put my head down. "Bella look at me. I'm practically saying I'm in love with you and I've only known you for a few hours. I've never been like this before. And I'm sure that it would never have happened with any other girl because any other girl wouldn't be you." He said. I felt like telling him to stop and at the same time to keep going. The only reason I wanted him to stop was because I knew I could never get over him now.

" Umm..." I didn't know what to say. Edward seemed to be completely open about sharing what he felt. So I tried to do the same. I let the barriers drop and just completely opened up. " I like you too. But that's the thing. I don't want to, but I desperately do. It's like cake, you've had a big slice of it already and you know you shouldn't have more but you want it." He laughed at my comparison. "I think... I'll be able to give in." I said slowly.

"Yes you deserve more cake" Edward chuckled, winking.

"You make me feel weird." I said. The best words i could come up with in this perfect moment.

"But that's the best part." He said. Great, he was more poetic than me too. I then realized we had stopped walking and were facing each other. He leaned in, very slowly, making sure that this was what i wanted and I knew it was. I leaned in too and kissed him. It was a slow kiss. Long and lingering. When we broke free his hands were on my hips. I was completely speechless. He looked at me for a second and realized that I was definitely not going to be the first to speak. "We should go. Alice will kill us" For some reason I doubted she would if she knew me and Edward were together.

I just nodded. Knowing anything that came out of my mouth would be unintelligible. I tried to think clearly but it was impossible. He obviously liked me. I wasn't that oblivious. I knew nothing now but what I felt for him and for this one time, I wasn't going to fight it.

"Edward! Bella! Where were you guys? We've been waiting here a half an hour!" Alice said. But I could tell she wasn't annoyed. She was smiling. I looked down realizing Edward had taken my hand on the way down here while I was still in shock. Great. I was going to have to deal with a squealing Alice all the way home now. Yay.

"Well, It's getting pretty late. Looks like its time to go. Bella I told Charlie you're sleeping in my house." I should have seen this coming. Of course she'd plan for me to stay in the same house as her hot cousin.

"Actually Alice I'd rather just go home." I said. She frowned hugely.

"Bella you have too!" She pleaded. "It's going to be so fun! Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie are going to be there! And Edward." she said. There was no way i could get out of this. "Please?"

"Ok, fine!" I said. I knew there was no use fighting Alice. Plus I didn't like to think of Rosalie being in the same house as Edward. She was really pretty, I didn't want him to change his mind. Even though she still would be in the same house, if I were there she could see we were already together... well I thought we were.

"Yay!" Alice squealed. "You guys take Edward's car and drive behind us. Edward I think it's best if you drive." Alice said, pointing at the boys. Emmett sighed.

I closed the car door and Alice began driving. Already talking as she turned on the ignition.

"So what happened? Where did you guys go? Are you together now?" She said. I just told her the basics. We went for a walk, he told me he liked me, I said the same to him and now were together. I didn't add in the kiss as I wasn't sure I could take the squeals that would follow.

Alice bounced with happiness, telling me how she knew this would happen. I just nodded along not really listening to anything she was saying. Edward and I were together. The girl who had given up on love had found it. I didn't know what was coming up next and for once I liked that. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Edward's P.O.V. - Introducing Me ;)

I sat in the drivers seat of the car with my hands on the wheel desperately wishing I was in the car in front of us. Emmett sat in the passengers seat obviously irritated that he wasn't aloud to drive.

"Edward stop driving like a girl! This is why you shouldn't drive! You should have over taken half of these cars by now! Just pull over and let me drive. I'll show you how it's done." Emmett said. He really needed to shut up and give me some thinking space right now. Just a few more minutes until we get to Alice's house, Just a few more minutes...

"Come on dude just let me drive!" He was bouncing in his seat now.

"No we're almost there" I said, we were in the forest on the path to Alice's house. It wouldn't be long now. "Besides we can't pull over here, the road's too narrow." He slumped down in his seat and sighed, visibly annoyed. I pulled into the driveway by the house. Alice's car was already there. I hopped out and ran straight for the door. I didn't know why. What was I going to do when I saw her? Have a slow motion hug? No. I didn't know what I'd do, but I just really wanted to see her. Just to see her would be enough.

I was being ridiculous. What had it been? 10 minutes since i saw her last? I missed her already. She had done something to me. I didn't know what but I know I've never been this way before. I wasn't going to let her go tonight without knowing i would see her again, that was for sure.

I looked around the house as I stepped in the door and smiled when I saw them. Bella, Alice and Rosalie were sitting on the big sofa in the living room. Bella seemed uneasy. Nervous even. I walked over and sat down on the chair opposite the sofa. " Hey" I said trying to act as casual as I could. Alice smiled widely. Oh no. What was she going to do now?

"Edward," she moaned. " You shouldn't be sitting on the chair all on your own! You should sit here beside Bella and I'll sit where you are now. I don't mind talking to your friends, in fact I want to. I know you too well already." She winked. From the corner of my eye I saw Bella roll her eyes, so she also knew what Alice was up to. Alice got up and I sat down beside Bella. Trust me I wasn't complaining. In fact maybe later I would thank Alice, but that would only encourage her scheming, so I ruled that option out quickly.

I noticed Bella get edgy when I sat beside her. Nerves? Or maybe just disgust. I never considered the face that she might not like me the way i like her. I felt A gut wrenching pain in my stomach as this very possible idea sunk in. She didn't have to like me back. I watched her as she shifted her legs, bringing them together and then back out again. She was obviously uncomfortable. This could be a good thing or a bad thing but my mind automatically made me think bad. Very bad. She didn't like me. Why would she? I was an all too persistent annoying boy and she was a beautiful strong girl.

I decided I could not just decide she didn't like me though. I could not just give in - I was too persistent for that. I took a deep breath and turned my hand over. This way if she looked she would know what I was asking for. I wasn't being too pushy by taking her hand myself. I was giving her the choice. I was thinking about all the options of what could happen when I felt something warm slip into my hand. I almost leapt for joy. I lifted my head to look at Bella. She looked at me and smiled. It was a cautious smile. Did she really think I didn't like her? I squeezed her hand and smiled so big I was sure my cheek bones would come out of my cheeks. She liked me. I felt like a like a five year old boy on Christmas.

But what did this mean? Where we together. I found myself desperately hoping we were. The thought of having this girl all to myself brought butterflies to my stomach. I noticed Alice smiling as widely as I was. Then her eyes lit up and I found mine did too. I was enjoying her scheming now. It seemed to be working quite well for my part.

"Hey, Rosalie lets show Emmett and Jasper the garden. Bella, Edward has already seen it but you two can just go walking until we're done. It won't be long." Rosalie was lost at Emmett. She clearly had a thing for him.

"Um.. o.k." Bella said. I was still holding her hand and there was no way i was letting it go now. We all walked outside and Rosalie and Alice went in the direction of the garden. Bella went - still holding my hand - towards the clearing facing the house. I went along willingly. We sat down in the middle of it. Holding hands now became awkward in the position we were sitting in. I didn't like this. Bella didn't seem to either which I was instantly pleased about. I felt a sudden confidence come on me. I twisted myself to sit beside Bella and put my arm around her. She didn't pull away or grimace. She just fitted herself into the comfort of my arm and stayed there.

" So..." Bella said, she seemed like she was about to say something. She seemed nervous.

" Yes?" I asked curious now. What was she thinking?

"Are we...?" Her face went red and I instantly knew what she was going to ask. It was the question I wanted to know since after that kiss. The question I'd been hoping the answer would be yes to.

"I don't know." I said speculating. I wanted to still seem like I hadn't lost every fiber of my being. "I'd like to be. But if you don't want to be... " I wanted to say that it would be o.k. But it wouldn't be. I would be heart broken. I could feel the pain already as I even thought of it. I noticed I was looking down. I looked back up and she kissed me. Something the man should do, but in this case the was a bit lost. I was completely lost now. I moved my arm around her neck around her waste and held her tight. I knew that this moment would have to stop but i didn't want it to. So I held on to her with everything I had, trying to create a little world of our own. It wasn't that hard to do. This kiss was better than the last one. Maybe because I knew this wouldn't be the last time. This was her way of telling me she wanted to be with me too. I felt myself rising to cloud nine and waving past it, I was going so much higher than that. The kiss still went on and if i had it my way it would never stop.

Everything that I have ever done up to this point suddenly seemed like nothing. How could it be anything if it was not with her? It was like I had never even been born. After this - whenever this would end - the world would finally know me. My life started here. And everything about the world screamed welcome. 


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up the next morning with everyone out of the house and a note beside my hand.

Dear Bella, it read,  
Sorry but we had to leave, the guys needed to go to the airport to collect some of Emmett's luggage found at the gate. Rose and I have gone to run to the mall. Could you meet us there when you get this? We have to get some stuff done. See you soon!

Alice.

What did Alice have to do at the mall? It's not that I was surprised she was there at, at all, it was just that she didn't normally go with a certain goal in mind. I reached over to the coffee table beside the sofa and got my phone. It was one o' clock. Why had I slept in so late? I'm normally awake at eight in the morning in Charlie's. I grabbed my bag of clothes and ran upstairs to get dressed. I was curious to see what Alice was planning in the mall. I knew I was going to regret this curiosity almost instantly though. After I put my last shoe on I started working on the tangled mess that was my hair.

I then ran to my truck. I got to the mall within about 15 minutes, which was good if you consider my trucks low speed and my bad driving. I am surprised I didn't spiral off a cliff on my way to the mall. I had texted Alice and Rose earlier so they were already awaiting my arrival outside the mall. As soon as I got to Alice I started the questions.

"So what was so important that I had to be down here too?" I asked. Alice made a face, she knew my dislike of the mall.

"Well, tonight there is a party at my house with everyone from school, and my cousin and his friends," I noticed Rosalie smile in delight at this news. "And I know as well as you do that you have nothing to wear." I tried to look offended by this but I knew it was true. My wardrobe wasn't exactly 'party ready'. "So I've decided to treat you to a new dress as an early Birthday present."

"Alice my Birthday is in six months" I pointed out, I knew that it wouldn't change a thing.

"Yes but you know how I'm an early planner." She smiled, and without further delay grabbed mine and Rosalie's wrists and began dragging us toward the mall doors. Rosalie did not need to be dragged, she was more than willing to go, I however, felt like a prisoner being sent to permanent exile.

The first shop Alice took me to was Belle. This was a shop where people got dresses for weddings, or professional shows, or Hollywood parties. Why was Alice taking us here?

"My dad gave me a lot of Birthday money last year." She said. How she had any of it left I had no clue. "So lets get to work" She said, pulling up her sleeves and making a dart towards the first pink satin dress on the rack. She had a determined look in her eye, and if I'm being totally honest, it kind of scared me. She ruffled through maybe ten dresses before she settled on one. It was light Caribbean blue with with royal blue lacing, it's straps tied around the neck. It came slightly in at the waist and then flowed delicately. It looked about above knee height.

"Here Bella, you try this on, this colour would look amazing on you." She handed me the dress and before I could respond was pushing me towards the dressing room. This dress certainly didn't look like anything I had ever worn before. I slipped it on carefully. I noticed how the back dipped down slightly which made me a little bit self conscious. I looked in the mirror. Who was I? I looked so different. I quite liked it, if I was being honest, I actually loved it.

I walked carefully out to Alice and Rose terrified I might trip and fall into something that could destroy this dress. Rosalie stared at me gob smacked, while Alice examined me carefully holding her chin in her hand.

"Yes, I was so right. It looks beautiful Bells" Alice said and then began smiling so bright it nearly made my eyes hurt. I felt very awkward and embarrassed now. Even the lady behind the desk was staring at me. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks so I just nodded and turned quickly toward the dressing room. Behind me I could hear Alice squeal in delight that she had got me finished and then heard her begin to look for Rosalie.

I looked in the mirror one more time. How would Edward react when he saw me like this? Would he react like Rose and Alice? Would he be disgusted? Was he into this kind of girly dress-up thing? I hoped for the first one. I wanted him to look at me in amazement. I highly doubted this though. I got dressed and put the dress back on the hanger and brought it out to Alice. As I looked out the window I noticed Edward, Jasper and Emmett, looking lost my the food counter. Embarrassed I quickly turned the other way and handed my dress to the cashier. 


	7. Chapter 7

The cashier handed me the dress in a large white box inside a pink bag with Belle written along the middle. I then reluctantly turned back to Alice, trying not to look out the window of the shop again. I was so embarrassed? What if he wanted to see what I got. I wouldn't show him. Definitely not. I'd be way to embarrassed. I'd wait until tonight when the party was on and there was no way I could change out of it. Rosalie joined us then with her bag in hand. She then suddenly squealed in delight. No, she'd noticed them. Alice spun around quickly.

"No!" She nearly shouted. She seemed annoyed. "I told Edward not to follow us here. We have to go home and get ready." I felt a sudden wave of relief flow through me. Alice wasn't going to be letting us join them, that much was certain. "Let's go. I'll text Edward when we're home to stay in the mall and shop, we need time to get ready." Alice whispered and then with a determined look in her eyes grabbed our hands and darted out of the shop. She headed straight for the doors of the mall, not looking back. I, however, could not resist just peeking back. They didn't see us, I sighed with relief.

Alice drove home at a speed that a cheetah couldn't outrun. When we arrived at her house she ran into the house, waited for me and Rose to come in, and locked the door. Ok so now I was worried. She then grabbed both our hands, again, and ran us up to her room, shoving me straight into the bathroom.

"Get changed now! We don't have much time before they come back! People are arriving at seven!" She called in through the door. She was panicking. I let a chuckle escape my lips. "Isabella Swan I hope you are not laughing or so help me I'll... I'll... well I'm doing your make up so let's see what I'll do." She yelled, but this didn't scare me. Alice wouldn't dare try to make me look like a mess, especially at her party.

I quickly got changed, slipping on the dress easily. My hair was already in perfect ringlet curls, it was as if it knew that tonight was the night it had to look good. I left the bathroom and Alice seemed to think the same thing.

"Your hair is working well with us tonight." She smiled happily. Well at least I was doing something right. She quickly shoved Rosalie into the bathroom then and spun me into her desk chair. She already had all of her make-up lined up on her desk. There was a lot. But, instead of focusing on what possible horrors she could do to my face, I simply closed my eyes and let her do her thing. No point in stressing over it now I supposed.

I settled into the chair as I began to feel the creamy foundation and eyeshadow touch my skin. After about twenty minutes of Alice fussing over my face she finally stopped. I opened my eyes to see her smiling.

"You know Bella I don't know why you don't where make-up. It really suits you." She turned me around swiftly in the chair in front of the mirror. I stared in amazement. Who was I? I looked nothing like myself. For once I felt I looked... nice, maybe even more than nice.

"Wow," I said, still staring in the mirror in amazement.

"I know, I did good." Alice said full of shameless pride. But I completely understood. I spun around in the chair to give her a big hug. "Woah woah woah, not so fast you'll crease your dress!" I quickly stepped back obeying orders.

The party arrived very quickly. I stood at the top of the staircase terrified to go downstairs. He was down there. I could hear him. His voice was so distinctive, well to me anyway. What if he didn't like me? What if he saw what I looked like now and realized he'd made a big mistake. No, it was time to suck it up. There was no point in being with someone who didn't like you no matter what you may be wearing.

I walked down the stairs slowly, trying not to fall down them in Alice's heels. I could see him talking to Emmett on the couch. Ok, now was the time to be brave. I continued descending down the stairs. Then he looked up and I froze. I knew I probably looked stupid standing frozen on a staircase but I was terrified. His face was so unreadable. He just sat there staring. He didn't like it. I knew it, I knew he wouldn't.

I decided it was stupid to just stand here now. The fear was over. I knew he wouldn't like it. I felt my heart sink and as it did I continued down the staircase. When I reached the end I noticed I was not alone. He was standing beside me. Still staring at me. Was he so disgusted? I dropped my head but as soon as I did so I felt his hand lift it up. His eyes were now boaring into mine.

"You look... amazing." He said still staring into my eyes. I felt myself blush and wanted to look down but his hand wouldn't allow it.

"Thank you." I half whispered. So he liked it... was he staring at me in amazement like I'd hoped? No, he couldn't be. No one could stare at me like that. Especially not him.

"You look so surprised," he pointed out. Observant. "You're very beautiful." He said simply. How was he saying this? How did this god think I was beautiful. This had to be some kind of dream. 


	8. Chapter 8

Edward Pov

Wow was all I could say. I watched Bella as she descended down the staircase. She looked amazing, no, amazing didn't cut it. She made every other girl in the room look like they had rolled in a bin and then came into the party. That colour suited her skin beautifully. I couldn't focus my thoughts. I knew Emmett was talking to me but I couldn't focus on the words he was saying. All I could do was stare at her. Then she stopped, half way between the stairs and a sad look crossed her face. What was wrong? Did she see something in me that she didn't like? I admitted to myself that I was only wearing my faded blue jeans and a white shirt. Compared to her I supposed I looked like I had rolled in a bin myself.

She then continued to walk down the stairs. Then I saw the problem. I could see it in her eyes. She didn't think I liked her. She was completely wrong if that was the case. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I made my way across the room to meet her at the end of the stairs. I felt very inadequate. I reached the end of the staircase before her. She was walking very slow. As she reached the bottom of the stairs I again felt that I could do nothing but stare. I didn't know what else I could do, words could not describe how beautiful she looked.

Her head dropped in embarrassment but I wasn't having that. She was not hiding her face from me tonight. I realized however though that I would have to give her some type of compliment, even though I knew none of them would come close to how I really felt. I lifted her face up with one hand.

"You look... amazing." I said, but that was a lie, she looked so much more than amazing.

"Thanks" She said in a half whisper. I could see conflict raging in her eyes. She looked... surprised. How could she not notice how every boy in this room was staring at her?

"You look so surprised" I pointed out. I needed to let her know how ridiculous she was thinking. "You're very beautiful." I said simply. Hopefully this would clear things up a bit for her. I then took my hand away from her face and exchanged it for her hand. She blushed immediately and looked down. So little confidence. I couldn't help but notice that as we made our way back toward the couch how every boy was looking at us, well rather her, as we moved through the crowd. I felt a sudden pang of jealousy hit me. She could pick any of these guys here, and she chose me. She could change her mind at any minute.

There was a small space left on the couch which allowed Bella and I to sit fairly close together, which I also was very happy about. We sat down and I moved my hand from her hand and onto her shoulder. Emmett was just telling everyone about his big wrestle with a thug at the mall today. He was exaggerating a lot. It was really just a guy he knocked into while ordering pretzels. He knocked the guys pretzels over then accidentally and then the guy at the pretzel counter gave him a new one. But this was a whole different story to Emmett's.

"So me, Edward and Jazz are all just standing in line for the pretzels when this dude comes over, totally out of whack and knocks into me! So I decided to show him a thing or two and knocked his pretzels over. You know, teach him a lesson. I was very nearly about to take it further too. The guy on the pretzel counter had to offer him another pretzel just to break us up!" I heard Bella chuckle beside me. She saw through it. She was very smart.

I wanted desperately to ask her to dance, there was already plenty of people up dancing. But would she be the type to dance? Most girls liked to dance. But this fact was no help to me because she wasn't like most girls. I decided to give it a shot. I moved my arm from her shoulders and took her hand again and without a word walked her to the dance floor. I saw fear in her eyes when she realized where I was taking her. I couldn't help but laugh. This would be fun. 


	9. Chapter 9

Dancing with Edward was easier than expected. His excellent dancing skills made up for my clumsiness. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. Was there anything he wasn't good at? I thought I recognised the song in the background. 'You and Me' I think it was called. But it could have been anything, it didn't matter as long as I was dancing to it with Edward. Everything was so perfect.

But I'm a jinx. And nothing can stay perfect for too long with a jinx. I should have seen it coming. I can't stay this happy for too long. I saw him and the walls of the party came crashing down around me. It was Jacob. He was with a girl I recognised from when I was little. An old preschool friend I think. She recognised me too. Jacob was laughing, already joking with one of his friends. He didn't notice my presence at all. He didn't even look at me, but his arm was tight around her.

Edward noticed I had stopped. He looked around and saw where I was looking. It didn't take him long to guess who Jacob was. He also noticed the girl.

"You ok?" He asked. But I couldn't answer. I couldn't even look at him. It was as if he wasn't there anymore. I could feel his hand in mine but not with the same intensity as before. Why was I feeling this way? I knew it was just because he was with her and I knew I couldn't get over the heart break in a second but I still never expected to feel hurt like this. A tear streamed down my face and I left the house. I couldn't stand to watch anymore. It hurt too much. I sped right past Jacob ducking my head so no-one could see I was crying. Edward followed. He grabbed onto my hand as I ran for my car.

"Bella, where are you going? I know it's hard but he's moved on and so have you. It's better this way, you can both be happy." He said. He sounded like he was pleading. Like he was trying to convince me that this was all for the best, not knowing if it really was. But nothing helped. I spun around. My face was no doubt red and puffy by now.

"I'm not happy though. I don't know why, but I'm not." I looked down. I started to doubt myself now. Suddenly this Edward thing felt too soon and real. I suddenly felt like a race car driver speeding with no brakes. I was going to crash and burn. "I think we should rethink us for a while. I don't know if I can get back into something as big as this right now." His eyes searched mine desperately. He was making this hard. I knew that I liked him, well more than like, but I also knew that I couldn't stay with him and go back inside. Seeing Jacob would hurt too much and if it hurts this much now I didn't see how I could be with Edward.

"Bella, I can make you happy. It's been two days, please just don't say no so quickly." His eyes had gone way past desperation now. But I couldn't give in. Why did everything feel like a war right now?

"Edward, I have to go." I said quickly before the tears came streaming down my face. I didn't dare look in the rear view mirror. It would be too hard.

When I got home, I texted him. "We can still be friends. Sorry x." I felt sick. How was it possible for any heart to hurt so much. I knew I wasn't upset about Jacob because I liked him, or that I missed him. It was the fact that I knew he had forgotten about me. Every time we were together was as if it never happened. He never loved me like I loved him. That's what hurt.

I twisted around in my bed and faced towards the window. I wondered what Edward was doing. He had probably already moved on and forgotten. I was nothing special, Jacob proved that. Easily replaced, easily forgotten. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Confessions.

The next morning was hard. I woke up with a horrible feeling in my stomach. I didn't feel like I could speak and I didn't want to. I sat up and brushed against my hair with my hand, not bothered to get a brush. I checked my phone, terrified because by now Edward will have told Alice and I didn't want to see what she had in store for me. I suspected a lot of caps lock and the occasional triple exclamation points. I reluctantly glanced at my phone. 21 messages. I got home at 12.30am, does Alice ever sleep? I scrolled through them but they were all the same. The first few were just things like "where are you?" But after that my full name began to appear in every second message and I was definitely right about the caps lock. She was angry with me but I didn't care. The last message however I did care about. "You're coming over today! Twelve SHARP! Don't make me come over there Bella Marie Swan!" This was the scary Alice, definitely not to be messed with.

I decided no matter how bad I felt I should go, I didn't need a broken heart and a broken arm. I started to text Alice to make sure Edward wasn't there but then I stopped myself, didn't I stay something about staying friends last night? I shouldn't be avoiding him, it would only get harder. I quickly got dressed and hopped in my car, knowing Alice would be taking no mercy if I was late, I had annoyed her enough already.

When I got to her house and stepped up to the door I quickly scanned the sitting room. Alice was there, sitting watching the clock like a hawk shaking her head. I was two minutes late. As I walked in she hopped up and I could see Edward from the corner of my eye in the kitchen. He was looking through presses and banging them closed when he couldn't find anything appealing. I had hurt him, that was certain. As he walked out he took a double take and looked at me. He looked embarrassed from his outburst. He smiled slightly and left. The smile wasn't crooked, it was broken. I broke it.

Alice grabbed my hand and towed me to the chair. I prepared myself for the storm.

"Bella I can't even begin! WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT? What made you make that stupid, stupid decision! Edward is so confused! EVERYONE is confused!" She ranted. I turned my head slightly to the side, desperately trying not to look at her.

"I... I got... Scared?" I didn't know what happened really, but scared seemed close enough. I was terrified really. I didn't know what I was thinking or feeling or what was going to happen next. I had no plan and I never felt so vulnerable.

"Scared of what? And why last night? Of all nights! Everything was going fine! Last I saw you two were dancing and the next I come back and see Edward sitting on the grass outside with his head in his hands!" She wasn't screaming, but she was talking very loud. I knew Edward could hear.

"I was scared that the... Jacob thing would happen again," I said fighting back the tears. "He says he loves me now and yes he probably means it at the time but it's so easy to move on and forget everything. I'm terrified that if I do get into this that by the end of the summer he'll leave and he won't come back." There was no stopping me now. I was bawling. I knew he could hear that too. I didn't want him to but by now I was sure he'd be trying to listen.

Alice was quiet. She was quiet for a while, which was really unusual for Alice. I suddenly felt like a big weight had been lifted. I needed to share that with someone.

"Bella... I can't guarantee that what happened before will never happen again, but you can't shy away from something because you're scared. Nothing you do in life is ever going to come without a risk, life would be boring otherwise. But that doesn't mean we can stop trying because of them." She said gently. I knew she was right. Alice was always there with her words of wisdom. I can't help but wonder if she researches these quotes for a rainy day.

"I'm just not ready yet. It was too rushed. Two days was too quick." I said and sat back. Alice didn't speak again. I heard footsteps on the stairs and quickly looked back. It was Emmett. He looked weary. He was listening too. I could tell, and he was coming down to find out more.

"Hey-lo ladies!" He said sprawling out on the chair. I really hoped my face wasn't red from crying.

"Emmett what are you doing?" Alice said laughing.

"I'm just here to have a chat with my two favourite ladies." He said with mock innocence. He did make me laugh. I liked Emmett. He seemed fun. I had to talk to him more often.

"Well this lady has to get home. I have homework." I lied, I just didn't want to stay here much longer. I needed to be home for a while.

"In the summer?" Emmett asked raising one eyebrow. Shoot.

"I have a school project." I lied badly. His eyes sparkled.

"Well then let me help! I'm bored here and I'm sure Alice won't mind if I take off for a while." He said winking at Alice. Oh no. I could see where this was going. More prying of information. I knew it wouldn't be as full on as my talk with Alice, he'd already heard that stuff, but I still wasn't in the mood.

"Ok... But I haven't started yet, there's a lot of work to be done. It will be really boring." I said trying to turn him off it. I really didn't want to start a whole fake project in the Summer."

"Nah, I think it'll be a lot of fun." He said and went to the door. I sighed and followed. I wasn't sure how this would turn out, another interrogation or possibly a hilarious day. Either was not knowing made me weary. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

As Emmett hopped into my car I felt it shake. He was strong. I started the engine and started driving. I felt awkward, yes I wanted to talk to Emmett more but not the day after I broke up with his best friend and certainly not after I babbled on about why. I could feel my face going red by the minute. I heard him laugh.

"Bella you're so funny." He laughed. "What could possibly be making you go red while driving? Are you afraid you're not holding the steering wheel properly." That made me laugh. How could he be so oblivious? Maybe he hadn't heard the conversation. But that seemed highly unlikely. "So... How are you and Edward doing?" He asked. I raised my eyebrow to him. I was sure he knew about that. "What?" He asked looking at me in mock innocence.

"Haha." I said sarcastically. I looked for any desperate attempt to change the subject. Crash the car? Maybe that was a bit too drastic, but I was so close to doing it. Anything was better than what was to come.

"He's really cut up Bella." He said seriously now.I kept my eyes on the road. How was I meant to respond to that. So am I, I made a mistake? I still didn't know what I wanted. Yes, at the moment I was sure I wanted Edward again but I was sure of that yesterday. I was just too confused and leading Edward into any false pretences wouldn't help anyone.

"Well then can you please tell him this," Ok here was the explanation, the explanation that could ruin our friendship or keep what was left standing. "I really, really like him. I just don't know what t do right now. I'm not ready for... anything at the moment and even though I want to, I don't think getting back with Edward would be such a good idea. I don't know if I could handle it and I don't want to do what I did last night again." Phew. I think that was the best I could do. "Tell him I want to be friends though. I really do."

Emmett sat in silence. I was making a lot of people quiet today. "Cool." He said finally without looking up. Then he bounced back to his former self. "So what's this project on?" He asked laughing, he knew I was lying.

"How long it takes for an ex-boyfriend's best friend to start interrogating me. You lasted five minutes." I said keeping my eyes forward, I still felt awkward. He laughed though and I sighed in relief. Topic officially avoided, for now. "Do you want to just go back to Alice's? We can all go out together?" I asked. I think it could be more fun that way. And I did want to see Edward. I still really liked him and I wanted to test myself. I wanted to see if I could handle being just friends. It would have to work for now. I had listened to Alice's advice, and she was right, but right now it wasn't worth hurting Edward or myself again. I wanted to test the friendship, see how we could get on as best friends.

"Sounds cool." Emmett said smiling a little too brightly. He was looking forward to seeing Rosalie again. Everyone had matched up perfectly. Trust me to complicate things. Everything seemed so much simpler when I was small and if I needed to be bigger and stronger Charlie's shoulders were the only thing I needed. It seemed so hard knowing I couldn't do that now.

I turned the corner back into the Cullen's driveway. Emmett and I entered the house and Emmett and Alice started arranging what we should do. I sat down on the couch and waited to be told where to go. I was too tired to engage myself in anything. After a few minutes of staring mindlessly at the T.V. I heard Alice call everyone else. This was it. I stood up and went to Alice's side, took a deep breath and waited until he came down. He was there within a matter of seconds.

"Hey." He said and smiled. He wanted to be friends too. I could tell. I couldn't tell if more than friends had been completely knocked of the table or not for him. For me it didn't take much deciding. He flashed his crooked smile and that was it. What else could I do? How was he so perfectly breath taking? And more importantly how could he have possibly been effected by me. I knew I loved him, and it took every bit of strength I had not to tell him that.

"Hey." I said, and suddenly it felt like that first night all over again. I felt like I was being unwillingly swept off my feet and all I kept doing was trying to glue my feet to the ground. The rest of the world seemed invisible and I couldn't hear what anyone else was saying. It was only when he started walking that I noticed we were leaving. He looked back at me slightly and nodded his head in a gesture to follow them. I just walked. I tried to decide what to do in my head before we got to the car. Should I just give in and tell him how I feel, or stick to my instincts? How could anyone stick to their instincts when all he did was smile at me. I wanted to tell him everything. It was hard to imagine anything could matter more. 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

He walked to the car as if there was nothing but air under his feet, his hair thrown loosely in his pockets. We were taking Emmett's car. I wasn't sure but I think we were going to the mall again. It was like deja vu.

I hopped into the car beside Alice, it was that kind of car where the seats in the back face each other, it really didn't help my situation. He sat in the one across from me, although I did notice him trying to take the one by the other window, but Jasper beat him to it. I sat and looked at my palms for the entire journey, twisting my fingers in and out of eachother while vaguely listening to Alice and Jasper discuss the plans for today, well listen to Alice tell Jasper. Apparently it was just going to be another random walk through the grounds outside the mall, everyone was going to split up and meet back at the parking lot. I knew Alice's plan, although today I wasn't so sure if it was only Alice's.

Emmett smoothly pulled into the parking lot and everyone hopped up, that was when the plan became obvious. Before I could even look up from getting out of the car Alice and Emmett were gone, Alice in one direction with Jasper and Emmett in the other with Rosalie. Leaving me and Edward alone in the parking lot. Edward closed the car door turned around and let out a frustrated sigh. He caught on quick. At fist he paced a few steps up to the front of the car and back and then let out a small breath and said "Let's go." He wasn't angry, but he didn't seem happy either. He walked looking down at his feet. I decided I didn't want to spend hours like this. I really wanted to get to know Edward, I wasn't giving up on him, I knew I wanted him.

"So," I said gently. He looked up at me and at first his eyes were soft and almost happy, but then they changed back as he remembered the situation. "Where do you want to go?" I asked looking at him. I wasn't going to lose eye contact until I saw him back to even a small inch of his happy self. It worked, he smiled.

"Why I don't know," He joked. This was good, I was going to try and keep it like this. "Where's your favourite place in this amazingly small town?" He asked with that same crooked smile. I nearly lost focus but quickly snapped back, I liked this joking atmosphere we had. I didn't want my love-struck eyes making things awkward again.

"Um... I don't know really, I never really had a favourite place." I said thinking. I couldn't think of anywhere I had ever desperately wanted to go to or found especially appealing to me. "Do you have a favourite place?" I asked smiling. He thought deeply.

"Probably that fountain from that other night. That was a great place. He said smiling at me. And I couldn't help but agree with him. That was my favourite place. It was the place that I desperately wanted to go to and the only reason I hadn't thought of it before was because the only reason it was special was because he was the one there with me. Without him it was just a place.

"Let's go then." I said smiling. We were nearly at the fountain already when we decided where we were going. As we walked up to the fountain he sat down on the grass and I suddenly felt my arm being pulled and in the next second I was there beside him. I laughed, I had never felt so care free in my life. I didn't feel like I had to worry about anything that I was doing or saying because I knew that somehow he would understand. I sat beside him smiling brightly to myself.

"I love your smile." He said smiling brightly back at me. I laughed again, I had never been so happy. "Why are we just friends?" He asked me getting serious now. He stared at me his eyes smoldering and I knew I couldn't give him a straight answer.

"I just need time," I said trying to make this answer as truthful as possible. I didn't know why I needed to do this anymore. But I knew that later, when common sense kicked in, I would be happy with the time.

"I can wait." He said smiling again. I knew I could believe him. I hoped that this fact would make it easier for me to wait too. Although it didn't seem to be helping at the moment. I sat back on my elbows and watched the wind play in his golden hair. I suddenly remembered something my mom had told me. 'You will know it's love when reality is finally better than your dreams' . I couldn't imagine any dream better than this.

I hadn't noticed he was looking at me until he tapped my leg with his hand. I couldn't help but notice how my skin tingled at his touch. "You're a very deep thinker," he mused, "Every time I see you, you're deep in thought." I smiled slightly. No one had ever noticed that about me before. Alice was normally the one who did all the talking and since I spent most of my time with her it seemed natural for me not to speak. Jacob didn't pay enough attention to care what I was thinking about. But he noticed.

"Yeah I suppose." I said thinking. I tried to take the subject off me. "What do you think about?" I asked, immediately regretting it. I wasn't very good with words. His face turned thoughtful, I sighed in relief to notice he was taking my question seriously and didn't laugh at my terrible attempt of a conversation starter.

"Everything and nothing," He said thinking deeply. "I tend to question things a lot. For example I don't understand how people can look for love, I think that in life love is going to creep on you unsuspectingly and you are never going to completely understand it, so there's no point in trying. I think that life is more about just taking things as they come and doing what feels right in the moment and not what feels right in the perfect picture that people create because everyone has a different picture." He said musing to himself. I stared at him in amazement. His thoughts were everything I wished I could be. He was opening up a whole new world to in the space of a few hours. I felt my self wanting these few hours we had together to never end. I had never been more grateful for one of Alice's plans. 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The sun was beginning to set. We had been sitting talking for hours now. I was beginning to wonder if the others had gone without us, not that I would have cared. I would have happily walked home with Edward despite the pain it might cause my feet. He was telling me about his home now. Where he lived, his favourite places to go to. I found myself eager to ask about his past girlfriends, but regretted it almost immediately. He seemed fine with answering it though. He said he only had two girlfriends before, neither of them too serious. Then the subject changed again. I found myself smiling throughout the entire conversation.

Soon it was dark, the day was suddenly gone and I felt like I had only been sitting there for a few minutes. I watched as the mall shutters came down and felt a horrible pain in my chest when Edward finally said it was time to go. I sighed and got up. I was glad things were good between us now. We both stood up at the same time and when I looked up I found that our faces were extremely close. We stared at each other for a short while. Kiss him, I thought. But I knew it would be a bad idea. He coughed slightly to break the silence and smiled his crooked smile.

"We should go," He whispered smiling. I smiled too. The friends thing would be good for us. No rushing in meant no broken heart.

"Yeah c'mon," I said lightly and felt myself twirling slightly with a smile as I went to walk away. I heard him laugh from behind.

"I think you're right about the friends thing," He said, "I think we could be good friends, no complications, just easy." And suddenly I felt my world crumbling down. He wanted us to stay friends, just friends, for the rest of the summer. I knew it could be great but it wasn't what I wanted. I needed to be with him. I knew I had to. But how could I tell him now? He didn't want the same things as me, we were suddenly on a completely different page.

"Yeah, that's why I said it. So much easier." I said feeling my voice break a little. I suddenly felt myself working very hard to keep the light theme of tonight going. I stayed silent the most of the way home, letting him talk and throwing in the occasional smile when needs be. When we reached the car we found everyone sitting in the back of the car laughing. A pair of keys flew out the window.

"Looks like I'm driving," he said laughing. I laughed back easily. I could suddenly understand what he meant. The friends thing could work out perfectly. No-one would get hurt at the end of it all. It was the perfect idea really, and although I wasn't entirely happy with it, I began to feel that I could accept it. He could be my best friend, someone to feel completely comfortable around, someone who protected me and someone who wanted to be with me for no other reason than just to be with me. This could work.

The car ride home was fun, I sat in the front seat next to Edward. Emmett sang badly along to what he referred to as "the classics". It was light and easy and I loved it. I was the first to be dropped home, mainly because I was the only one who wasn't currently inhabiting the Cullen house. Edward got out and ran to my side of the car. He opened my door with a joking bow. "The Swan manor" He joked in a deep, posh voice.

"Why thank you sir," I said and let him take my hand so I could jump out of the car.

"Not at all ma'am." We both then broke out in laughter, I looked up at him and everything suddenly went very quiet. I tried very hard not to get lost in his nearly golden eyes but it was impossible. It was Edward who had to break the moment. He let out a shaken laugh and closed my door. I laughed then too and suddenly everything was back to normal. "See you tomorrow." He said and got back into the car and drove off.

I looked at the driveway. It was empty. Charlie wasn't home yet and I hadn't got a key. I sat on the front porch step. I caught myself drifting off into a daydream of Edward and stopped it immediately. We were friends, just friends. and that would be good. For now anyway. 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next few weeks flew by in a rushed whirlwind of fun. Most days I now spent at Alice's, which I had done before but I seemed to be turning up more and more frequently as the days went by. And after a few weeks I found myself actually preferring the friend situation. By the end of that first summer month I had nearly completely forgotten about that first week that Edward had first came down. Of course there would always be something there that would make me slip up. Like his smile. That crooked smile took me down every time. But most of the time it was easy. I could be completely comfortable around him. No pressure. He had become my best friend.

I texted Alice on Saturday to let her know I was on my way. She had become very uninterested in mine and Edward's relationship. Now that it was becoming more and more obvious that nothing would happen I found her questioning me less and less frequently. Now all her attention was focused on her relationship with Jasper. They had become an official item by the end of that first week, as did Rosalie and Emmett. And although when I looked at them I could see that they were all blissfully happy, I knew they couldn't possibly as happy as I was. With my best friend.

As I drove down to Alice's I thought of all the things I'd learnt about Edward. How his parents died when he was a young child, what college he planned to go to, his favourite things, things he hates - which was a very short list. Over the weeks our constant joking had become our second language.

As I pulled into the Cullen garage I saw Alice run out the door. "Bella!" She called, "Stay in your car, we're going to Port Angelus!" I took my hand off the car door handle and waited for Alice to reach the car. I was slightly annoyed that Alice was interrupting one of my days with Edward. The amount of days left was going down shockingly fast. Alice jumped into the car.  
"Why are we going to Port Angelus?" I asked, I could hear a sharpness in my voice.

"Because I thought we needed a girl's day out! I feel like we haven't seen eachother all Summer!" I knew she was right. So with a sigh I started the car and headed out of the Cullen drive.

After about an hour of walking through Port Angelus I felt the time going by increasingly slow. I started to plan what me and Edward could do when I got back. Probably our usual sitting out in the field. It was amazing how we never ran out of things to talk about, it never got boring.

"Hey Bella," Alice whispered, snapping me out of my trance, "That guy keeps looking at you!" She giggled. I looked over. A boy in a faded blue checked shirt with brown short hair was leaning against the side of a shop. Alice was right, he was looking. "You should go talk to him!" I hesitated. I didn't want anything like this now. This Summer had been so great because I didn't have to deal with pressures like this. It was light and it was easy.

"No." I said simply. Alice stared at me, her eyes narrowing to slits.

"Bella you and Edward clearly aren't happening! You haven't gone out with anyone since Jacob! You need to get out there or your going to be single for the rest of your life!" She was shouting now.

"Wow, over reactions." I said laughing slightly, but I was slightly offended. Sure I didn't want to be with Edward now but that was my choice and I wouldn't be single for the rest of my life. "I just want this Summer to be relaxed, I've had too many dramas and for once I just want to focus on me." I said this all in one breath. It felt so good to say that last sentence. Focus on me. Not Charlie, not Jacob, not anything. Just me.

"Fine" Alice huffed. "Let's go, it's getting boring here." And I suddenly realized why she brought me here. It wasn't for bonding time, it was to find me a boyfriend. I smiled slightly. Nice to know her new romance hadn't changed her.

We walked back to the car and I started driving home. It was beginning to get dark now, but I didn't care. I was still planning on seeing Edward today.

I walked into the Cullen house, Alice at my side. Normally, around this time, Edward and I would come inside and hang out with everyone else, listening to music and watching TV. Which is why it shocked me when I walked into the living room and he was nowhere to be seen. Everyone else was gathered on the sofas.

Alice walked straight over to Jasper and sat on his lap. "Where's Edward?" She asked, not directing the question at anyone in particular.

"Tanya came for a visit," Emmett shouted from the kitchen, his mouth full of freshly popped popcorn.

"Tanya?" I asked. I felt a lump forming in my throat.

"Yeah she was his best friend back home. They were nearly an item before we left but he didn't want to start something just to go away for three months." I felt a huge wave of sadness wash over me. Tanya. Of course there was someone back home. Of course there was a Tanya.

I walked out of the room and out to the field saying nothing. She was probably much prettier than me, and funnier. I knew that I shouldn't be thinking about this so much. We were friends. And up until sixty seconds ago, that was everything I wanted, everything I needed. So why should I be feeling like this.

I caught a flash of Edward's smile in my head and suddenly realized why. Because I was always hoping that, by the end of this Summer, we would end up together. I always thought it had felt right. But there was a Tanya. A girl who he nearly went out with. A girl who he probably was, or is, in love with. I could imagine her in my head. She was probably insanely pretty, smart, kind. She probably had everything I was lacking. And the most heartbreaking thing she had, something that I could never have or get, was Edward. 


	15. Chapter 15

Hey guys! First of all just wanted to say thanks so much for favouriting my story and putting it in your story alerts and thanks so much for the reviews! I really, really appreciate and just wanted to let you all know that! Also I think it's time to nearly bring this story to an end in a few chapters. I feel like if I drag it out it will get boring. However, I was thinking of doing another book continuing it from it? Like a saga since it's based on the Twilight Saga. Maybe call the next one 'Fire', who knows? Let me know your thoughts and thanks for reading!

Jo x _

Chapter 15

I sat out in the field for the rest of that night, staring up at the stars. I tried to leave my mind completely blank. I was being silly after all. I couldn't possibly think if we were just friends that he would never find someone. It wasn't fair of me to think that. I was being selfish. I lay down on the grass and closed by eyes when I felt someone sit down beside me. It was Alice. I sat up and wiped my face. I never seemed to notice when I was crying.

"You ok?" Alice asked? Her voice was soft and soothing. She put her hand on mine.

"Not really" I muttered. Selfish.

"I thought you were just friends though? Shouldn't it be ok?" She asked. She genuinely seemed confused, which I found odd. Normally Alice knew how I was really feeling before I did so I didn't know how she didn't see this one coming.

"It should be." I whispered, wiping back the tears.

"Bella, we can find you someone else! Edward was never that spe-"

"Don't say that!" I cut her off. How could she say he wasn't special? He was the one person who actually understood me.

"Sorry, sorry." She said putting her hands up, palms facing me. "I just don't understand how he's suddenly so important when you've only known him a couple of weeks." Her voice gradually got lower. This was not like Alice. She was always one step ahead. I suddenly felt the need to give her an explanation.

"He's special to me because..." I hesitated. I could sense this moment becoming incredibly cheesy. "He understands me. He listens to me and when I'm around him I feel like I can be myself. I feel like no matter what I do or say he'll understand. It's like for once I have nothing that I have to prove to someone, it's easy. And I think I..." I stopped myself, remembering my promise to myself that first day. Saying them words would be putting my guard down, leaving myself completely open. "Like him..." I whispered. I knew that it didn't sum up any of my feeling for him, but I would rather say that than say what I was really feeling knowing he would never feel that way.

Alice was silent. Which was very unusual and worried me more than my incredibly cheesy speech. "Alice?" I asked looking up at her. She was sitting looking at me, her hand still on mine.

"I understand," Was all she said and then she leaned over and pulled me in for a hug. I felt myself crying again but quickly pulled myself together when I heard a car door close. I looked back at the house and saw Edward walk into the house with his arm around a a tall girl. Her hair was strawberry blonde, from what I could tell. Seeing his arm around her was like being punched in the chest, over and over again. I felt butterflies in my stomach but didn't understand why. I wasn't excited or nervous, just hurt. It was a pain like I'd never experienced. I wasn't enraged like when I found out about Jacob, I wasn't upset like when I found out Charlie and Renee where getting divorced. This was a new pain that I couldn't put a name to.

As he opened the door for her, he took his hand from around her waist and took her hand. More punches, it felt like a kickboxing match was happening in my heart. Kick, punch, kick. Alice looked at me.

"You should go in," I said. "Don't let them know I'm out here. I don't want any attention. I might follow you in soon." I tried my hardest to hold back the tears that were surely coming soon. Alice must have seen that I needed her to leave. She picked up her gold hand bag and made her way back to the house. Not saying a word.

Almost as soon as she left I broke down. This wasn't fair. I wasn't supposed to feel like this. I made promises to myself and tried everything I could to stop myself from feeling like this. So why wasn't it enough? I wrapped my hands around my legs and put my head on my knees. My mind kept flashing back to his arm around hers. I could only imagine what his face was like. He was probably blissfully happy, she seemed to be. It was pointless to deny it now, I loved him. I knew I did. That's why my attempts didn't work at keeping the hurt away. It killed me to know that if I had only realized this sooner, that could have been me. The tears came again.

It seemed like hours had passed. It was now completely black out. I wondered if they were still in there. I knew I should have probably followed Alice back inside like I promised but I knew I couldn't do it. Although I had finished crying an hour ago my face still felt warm and I knew my eyes would be red and puffy.

A car engine went off and I turned around. Edward was leaning in a car window, talking to someone in a car I had never seen before. It was obviously Tanya's. I knew I shouldn't watch. But I couldn't see how I could be in much more pain. I watched and waited for the good night kiss but it didn't happen. He moved away from the car and waved her off. Then he looked down at me, his face taken by surprise seeing me there. He started walking towards me. I quickly started wiping my face and tried to return my breathing to it's regular pattern. As he reached closer I smiled and tried to act as normal as I could.

"Hey, I didn't know you were here?" He said it like it was a question. I tried not to look at him, but it was hard. He smiled his crooked smile and I couldn't look away. "You ok?" He asked concerned. No I wasn't ok. I felt like my chest was empty but yeah nearly bursting with emotions.

"Yeah I'm fine" I lied, looking down. "Just a long day, I just felt like coming out and sitting for a while." I gave him a slight smile and turned my eyes immediately to the ground again.

"Sounds like a plan!" He laughed shooting down to the ground beside me.

"Who was your friend?" I didn't know why I asked it. I just needed to know for sure if my chances where gone.

"Oh..." He hesitated, that was enough for me. "That was Tanya. She's from back home."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Why was I asking these questions? It was as if I was trying to torture myself, but somehow I felt not knowing would be worse.

He was looking down now. "Um... I don't really know what she is. We're close but I think that's it. She's just a friend to me really. A best friend." This didn't comfort me. His voice was so uncertain as he spoke, and from very recent experience, you could feel a lot for your best friend.

"Ok" I whispered. I could feel the tears coming again but desperately fought them back.

"Are you sure your ok?" He asked searching for my face which was now nearly buried in my knees. I couldn't help it now, the tears flowed out freely. "Bella, what's wrong?" I knew I couldn't tell him the truth. How could I?

"Just feeling a bit stressed." I lied.

"It seems to be more than a bit." He noted and then before I knew it he had me cradled in his arms. I felt so embarrassed. I knew that comforting me was probably the last thing he wanted to do, he could be on the phone to Tanya right now or hanging out with Emmett and Jasper, but I couldn't help but feel comfortable in his arms. I curled into his chest and tried to stop my tears. "It's ok." He said running his hand through my hair. "Just let whatever it is that's stressing you go. If it's upsetting you this much than you shouldn't have to deal with it." He whispered, rocking me slightly. But I knew I couldn't take his advice. I couldn't let him go. It was too hard now. 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

I woke up lying on the grass, snuggled into Edward. When had I fallen asleep? When had I stopped crying long enough to fall asleep? I didn't know the answer to these questions but as I looked up to see Edward's face, eyes closed, I smiled and snuggled tighter into his arm enjoying the moment while it lasted.

As I moved I felt something on my arm. It was Edward's jacket. He had put it on me last night. I smiled. He must have been freezing. I moved the jacket over so that we were now sharing it and closed my eyes. This was the perfect moment.

After a few minutes I felt Edward move beside me. I slowly opened my eyes, disappointed that the moment was over. and sat up. He stretched his arms above his head, his eyes squinting at the light.

"What time is it?" He asked. I had no idea. I began to scan the sky. By the looks of it, the sun had only just begun to come up.

"Five am? Maybe, I don't know." I said looking at him. His hair was messed up with pieces of grass and leaves caught at the back. His shirt was creased. Even looking like this, just waking after a night of sleeping on the grass, he still seemed perfect to me.

"Woah," He laughed slightly.

"Sorry about..." I trailed off.

"I understand really." He said looking at me, his eyes burning with intensity. "I never thought I'd see you like that, honestly." I looked at him questioningly. "It's just..." He explained. "You always seem so together. You're always on your guard. I understand though. Everything that's happened in your life, I'd be that way too." He was still looking at me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to pull away from his gaze.  
I always knew he understood, but noone had noticed the things about me that he did. Noone had ever known how I was feeling it and I was feeling it before, but he did. "Thank you so much." I said, keeping my eyes on him. He had to know how grateful I was. For everything. For giving me the best Summer of my life, for being the best friend I've ever had, for being there for me last night when he could have just walked away.

"For what?" He asked.

"Understanding." I said simply. He smiled his crooked smile and my heart broke. He was so perfect and he wasn't mine.

I looked down only to look up again when I heard him move. I watched as he leaned in and kissed me. It was perfect. My heart pounded in my chest and I could feel myself smile underneath the kiss. Edward was the definition of perfect. The happiness I felt now in this moment made the other moment before seem as small as a grain of sand. The happiness I felt was greater than all of the punches and kicks in the chest from yesterday.

He pulled away and whispered, "I love you."

I began to reply and by force of habit stopped myself. But I knew I could say it. I knew I loved him. I loved everything about him, his crooked smile, his hair, the way his eyes squinted when he laughed, the way he sat. And he loved me back.

"I love you too." I said looking up at him. He breathed a laugh and smiled.

"Finally." He said and kissed me again. I couldn't believe how happy I felt. All that had happened in the past felt irrelevant. It was like Edward was the piece missing from my jigsaw. It was just one piece, and when glancing at the picture you might not even notice it was gone, but it was still broken. Now that I'd found that piece the picture was complete, bright, full. Exactly how I felt.

When the kiss broke we both laughed. And then a sudden thought dawned on me, and my smile fell.

"What about Tanya?" I asked looking down at our intertwined hands.

"She's nice." He said, lifting my chin so we were facing each other. "But it never felt right with her. She wasn't you. It was only yesterday that I realized this." He said smiling. I smiled too. He had chosen me. For once someone had chosen me. I was someone's favourite. I was beaming now as Edward took me into his arms. Perfection. 


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone! So this is the very last chapter of this fanfic! I just wanted to thank everyone for all the reviews - even though I haven't yet figured out how to reply to them... oops - and for putting me in your favourite authors and stories list! I know that this isn't a very big story and not alot of people have read it but I didn't think anyone but my friends would read it when I put it up and to see even the few people who put it in their favourites and asking me to keep going is just crazy. Hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint and this won't be the last thing I'll be writing. I'm thinking of starting a brand new story - Twilight based too. I hope you'll stay with me and read it! Thank you so much - and sorry for rambling!

Jo x _  
Finally

BEEEEEEP. Alice's car horn beeped from outside my bedroom window. I looked out. She was in her classic skinny jeans and waistcoat outfit. The perfect Alice look. I walked over to my wardrobe, took out a jacket and sighed. It was the last day of Summer. How had it gone by so quickly? Ever since that day in the field with Edward, the next to weeks had gone by in a rushed blur. We had officially declared ourselves an item. No complications, no confusion. I had met Tanya the next day. She was actually very friendly, and very intimidating, but with Edward's arm around me I felt more confident than ever.

I grabbed my plain denim jacket from my wardrobe - a classic Bella look - and ran down to Alice in the car. "You're late!" I couldn't tell if she was angry or cheerful? Only Alice could mix those two emotions.

"I'm sorry I couldn't find my jacket." I lied. I really had just lost track of time, doing everything and nothing, My life seemed to be a daydream lately.

Alice raised her eyebrows at me but put the car into drive. She looked at me. "So are you excited?" She asked. I didn't know what to feel though, really. Today would be my last full day with Edward. A few days ago I had asked him about today.

"I'm going to college in a week," I had said while we were sitting on the fields.

"Yes?" He had said.

"And you're going home in 4 days... How will we still see each other? You're from New York, my college is in Seattle." I was fighting back tears. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"I guarantee you that I will see you everyday."

He sounded so sure of himself. I had asked how, of course, but he said it was a surprise and that I would find out today. Which was the reason for my mixed emotions. We were on our way to one of his end of Summer gigs in a bar just off Port Angelus. I had never seen him perform before. I had heard him strum a few chords in Alice's living room but that was just playing around, I'd never hear him perform seriously before in front of an audience. My boyfriend the superstar, I thought and laughed.

"Bella?" Alice called, waving her arms in an attempt to bring me back to Earth.

"Sorry. Um, yeah, very." I said although my voice was unsure. She pulled up into the parking lot of a small bar named The Woody Pecker. I had come here once or twice as a kid, but none that I could remember. I opened the heavy door and the first thing that caught my eye was Edward. He was wearing a blue and grey checked shirt standing on a small wooden stage with a guitar strapped around his neck. He looked up and smiled at me. I caught my breath and for a second just stood at the door staring at him. How was he mine? I felt Alice push at my back.

"Yeah, yeah, he's amazing Bells but I have to pee!" She shoved past me and danced to the bathroom. I laughed and went to sit by Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper, or Jazz as I'd come to know him as.

In a few minutes Alice was back sitting beside me and I heard loud guitar strums. I looked up and saw Edward looking over at me and then he started to talk.

"Hello! Thank you for having me. My first song, I wrote about someone very special to me. This is my first time playing it but for those of you who will be attending the University of Seattle will get to hear it every Friday and Saturday. I'll be attending there this fall to perform and to be with the person I love." He smiled and started playing. I nearly jumped with the happiness. Did he say he would be attending? As in going with me? That was why he was so sure we'd see each other. I couldn't fight back my smile.

The song was beautiful. I guessed that it was entitled Finally by the mentions of it in the chorus. How had my life gone from so horrible to so perfect? At the intermission Edward came down to me, laughed and kissed me.

"Did you like your surprise?" He asked still holding me.

"Yes!" I nearly shouted. Everything just seemed so perfect. Like it wasn't my life but I was watching one of them soppy romance movies Alice forced me to watch, except this time I liked the characters.

One month later...

"Hey" I said walking into the small drama room where Edward was strumming his guitar.

"Hey" He said leaning up to kiss me. This had become our regular meeting place. After classes or sometimes even at night despite my protests. Although I was slowly becoming ok with breaking the rules, I had broken plenty of my own.

We never did anything special in this room, I had never really known why we had come here in the first place. It was old and dusty but it was ours.

We sat down on the small couch in the corner of the room, coughing slightly at the dust rising from it as we sat. We did this alot too, just sitting here in silence. It was never awkward like it probably should be. I sat down and thought of the last few months events. It was hard to believe that it was only three months since I'd met Edward. I couldn't imagine a life without him now. I still marveled at him everyday. Not just at his looks but at his ability to make me feel so... special. No one had ever accomplished this before but he seemed to be doing it without trying. He helped me through hard times, waited for me to sort out my issues and above all he loved me.

As we sat on the couch Edward began twisting his fingers in and out of mine. How had I gotten this. I was the child who had grown up refusing to read fairytales, knowing from an early age that they told you what you wanted to hear. That there would always be a prince charming and you would always live happily ever after. And here I was with my prince charming, living my perfect version of my very own fairytale. It had a sad beginning, a complicated middle, but here I was at the end of it all, living happily ever after. 


End file.
